


The Love You Deserve

by Orange_Coyote



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Fluff, I'm Bad At Titles, Love Confessions, Short & Sweet, a little OOC maybe, james just lets it all out, lily is being difficult, very brief mentions of OMCs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 12:44:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5708593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orange_Coyote/pseuds/Orange_Coyote
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James Potter does the one thing he swore to himself he'd never do: confess his feelings for Lily Evans to the witch herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Love You Deserve

**Author's Note:**

  * For [UnofficialQueenofWisdom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnofficialQueenofWisdom/gifts).



> Gifting this fic to my irl hlp aka Sara. She's finally joined ao3 and the fact that she's reading mauraders fics makes my heart glow. <3  
> This little drabble came to my head in the middle of the day a few weeks back, so of course I just had to post it.

"I think I've got the kind of love you deserve."

The recipient of his sudden confession of love merely sighed.

"What does that even mean?"

James stepped closer to where the redhead lay splayed across one of the comfortable armchairs the Gryffindor common room provided. He absently admired the effortless beauty she exuded simply by existing.

One arm blocked her eyes from you but he could easily imagine the sharp annoyance currently residing within them. Her muddy boots stood forgotten at the foot of the couch. Little things like that reminded him of how inherently _muggle_  Lily was. Leaving her hair wet after a dash through campus during a spontaneous rainstorm, trudging through tracks of mud without casting an impervious charm onto her clothing. Once he had happened upon her copying notes from a spare text book in the library _by hand_  as if she had forgotten the capability to spell her quill to do so on its own.

Now, in this precise moment, he felt seven years of intrigue and unreasonable affection surge through his veins.

He loved her.

"You know bloody well what it means, Evans. Don't play dumb. It doesn't suit you."

Lily split the fingers covering her eyes enough to give him a clear view of the icy determination shining through. Even glaring at him as she was prone to do incited a riot within his gut. "Pray tell, Potter. Why don't you enlighten me?"

For a brief moment, James considered leaving the room and forgetting he'd ever been loony enough to believe this could end well. Remus (and Sirius, the git) had coached him for years on this. If he wanted to Lily to believe he was sincere, he would need a game plan. Or, if Sirius had a say, an exorbitantly outrageous gesture.

Not once had he imagined convincing Lily of his feelings on a stormy Saturday night (or Sunday morning, depending how you looked at it), while they were both in a terrible mood and just a moment ago caked in mud (thanks to a retaliatory prank from some brave Hufflepuff third years).

The annoyed sighs and the refusal to make eye contact, unfortunately, were not as much of a surprise.

Eventually his resolve kicked in, with a nice boost of support from his mum's voice in his head.

"Look, I get that you may be bitter. I understand how the words leaving my mouth probably raise all sorts of red flags."

"'M not bitter."

"Of course... I guess what I'm trying to get across here is: you deserve better than the smarmy blokes who've taken advantage of you in the past."

"Watch it, Potter."

"I'm not even meaning Snape in this," he asserted, knowing she would never believe him but feeling it needed to be said anyway. "At least that wanker cared for you. Probably still does." James sighed, preferring to not dwell on that happy little thought. "I'm talking about the idiots who completely took you for granted. Like Ralph Wilkins in fourth year."

"Ralph was perfectly pleasant to me."

"Yeah, for the week he felt confident he could get into your knickers."

James winced as a stinging hex hit his arm. It barely registered on the scale of Lily's normal hexes, so he took it as a victory and continued on. "What of Joseph Kentington in fifth year? That idiot could barely spell his own name."

"He was _dyslexic_ , James. _Godric_."

"He used you to get better marks, all the good that did him."

"Look, we really don't need to do this," the witch argued tiredly.

"Actually, we do. I won't even mention _The Incident_  since that's not what this is about."

"Skimming over your flaws, are we?"

"I'll apologize for being an annoying prat later, Lils. I'm leading up to it."

"I'm sure you are."

"Sixth year! William Bubsy. Who even names their child Bill Bubsy?"

"His name is _Billoughsby_. You lot just called him Bubsy and it stuck."

James snorted. "Not much better."

"Will never once mistreated me."

"No, I'll give him that much," James admitted grudgingly. Then he added, "But he still wasn't worthy of you."

Lily released another sigh. "Do we again need to have the discussion regarding the fact that I am the only one who sets my standards?"

"No, no," James quickly conceded. He remembered that conversation vividly. He'd been stuck in the hospital wing overnight, his entire body in a state of constant aching.

"Good. Now get to the point of this little tirade. I want to get some sleep tonight."

"I'm sure you hear this often... Lily Evans," he corralled his meandering courage into the forefront of his mind and looked the redhead straight in the eye. "You are the most intelligent, kindest, most clever, not to mention most absolutely stunning, witch I've ever come across. It's been an honor, _nay_ , a privilege, to be graced with your presence these last several years."

"Yes," Lily drawled. "I know."

"See that? Right there, in three tiny words, you've encompassed everything I've come to love about you. Confidence, wit, and the indomitable trait of never putting up with anyone's bullshit." James caught the involuntary twitch of her lips and internally crowed triumphantly.

Evans was a tough nut to crack; he had learned that over the past seven years without a doubt. But once you gained entrance into her close knit circle of friends, a softer and sassier side of her emerged from beneath the perfect student exterior. The teasing and occasional hexes eventually became signs of exasperated affection.

He didn't know everything about her. Had no idea which side of the bed she preferred, if she listened to muggle music or wizarding music when she took a bubble bath in the Prefects' bathroom, which colors on a wall or ceiling drove her absolutely mad. But he wanted to know. Almost as much as Remus loved chocolate (which was exponential).

"What are you asking of me, James? Why are you telling me all this?"

The bespectacled boy spread his arms wide in the universal sign of helplessness. "Isn't it obvious?"

Lily shook her head, more from bewilderment or denial he wasn't sure. She hadn't body bind-ed him or stormed from the room, so the wavering light of hope within his heart continued its vigil.

James approached her where she now stood by the fireplace, a handful of dying embers emitting a soft glow along her features. Her eyes were closed, again blocking a clear read on how she was reacting.

The pinched skin around her nose and the slight furrow in her brow revealed her inner turmoil despite her desperate attempts to veil her feelings. James recalled that exact look from their first day of Ancient Runes in fifth year (which in all honesty he had only taken because Care of Magical Creatures was full), when she had come across a problem she didn't understand.

So that's what he was to her: a problem she didn't understand. He could fix that.

"Lils," his voice turned soft and reverent. "I'm in love with you."

"Why?" she muttered. He wondered if he should answer, if she had even meant for him to hear the word leave her lips.

"Because," he answered regardless, "you stole my heart."

She finally opened her eyes, finally turned those gorgeous green orbs in his direction. She studied his face wordlessly, gaze darting between his eyes, his forehead, and finally his mouth.

He held his breath and waited for the final verdict.

She shook her head again, this time with a tiny smile and a burst of nervous laughter. Then their eyes locked. James felt as if he were flying and drowning all at once.

"You did too," she confessed in a hurried whisper.

James barely had enough time to contain his unearthly glee as the words sunk in before another shock altogether overloaded his nervous system.

Lily Evans, the brightest witch of her age, stood on tiptoe before him. A bright grin on her face and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, she uttered the three words he had only dreamed of.

"Kiss me, James."

Without a second of hesitation he moved to comply.

Unfortunately, Lily didn't find the comfort and warmth of her favorite quilt until dawn.


End file.
